This study investigates food security in rural Tanzanian communities through the lens of vulnerability. Using a mixed-methods approach combining life stories, survey data, and key informant interviews, it explores the interplay among risk management, resilience, and food security, focusing on vulnerable groups. Survey data provide an overview of food security conditions, while life stories capture participants' life trajectories. Findings show substantial challenges in food availability and access, driven by environmental, natural, and social shocks. Vulnerable groups face more risks, rely more on negative coping mechanisms, and are less likely to adopt adaptive strategies. Life story graphs reveal non-linear food security trajectories shaped by multiple shocks. Resilience plays a pivotal role in recovery, shaping whether food security improves, declines or remains stable amid cycles of shocks, coping strategies, and outcomes. The analysis highlights a strong connection between food security and life satisfaction, showing how difficulties meeting basic needs affect overall well-being.
Child malnutrition remains a critical public health challenge in urban slums of low- and middle-income countries. This cross-sectional study assessed nutritional status among 450 children aged 0-59 months in the Farmgate slum, Dhaka, examining socioeconomic, household, and dietary determinants using a hierarchical framework. Children were selected via simple random sampling; anthropometric measurements followed WHO guidelines. Nutritional status was assessed using weight-for-height Z-scores (WHZ) as the primary outcome, with Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) as a supplementary indicator. Hierarchical logistic regression, based on the UNICEF framework, showed 26.7% of children were acutely malnourished (MUAC-based). Socioeconomic and dietary variables lost significance after adjustment, while household overcrowding (AOR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.09-2.52) and recent diarrheal disease (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.09-2.40) remained significant predictors. These findings suggest socioeconomic disadvantage operates through proximate household and health pathways, underscoring the need for interventions targeting living conditions and disease prevention.
South Asia faces a difficult nutrition transition, where chronic undernutrition persists alongside increasing overweight and obesity. We develop a mother-child dyad-level classification framework to capture malnutrition burdens and their correlates. Using nationally representative DHS data from Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan, mother-child pairs are classified into single-member malnutrition (HSBM), single burden of malnutrition (SBM), and double burden of malnutrition (DBM). Country-specific multinomial logit models show mother--daughter pairs face significantly lower odds of SBM and DBM than mother-son pairs in India (SBM: RRR = 0.882***; DBM: RRR = 0.884***), with more strongly in Maldives (SBM: RRR = 0.469***; DBM: RRR = 0.724**). Pakistan shows the reverse, with mother-son pairs at lower SBM risk (RRR = 1.636***). Third-or-later-born children face higher DBM risk across countries. Well-nourished dyads decline steadily with age while DBM rises. Wealth's effect is mixed: the richest quintile protects against SBM everywhere but raises DBM risk in India and Pakistan.
Black people in the United States have the highest death rates for cancer and a lower overall 5-year cancer survival rate than White people. Although current literature demonstrates the importance of diet in cancer survivors' overall health, there is a limited understanding of the relationship between nutrition insecurity and cancer-related outcomes. This review summarizes evidence and knowledge gaps related to nutrition insecurity, food insecurity, neighborhood food environments, and cancer-related outcomes among Black cancer survivors in the United States. A total of 41 articles were reviewed. None of the included studies assessed for nutrition insecurity using a validated measuring tool. The impact of poor diet quality, food insecurity, and the neighborhood environment on cancer-related outcomes is evident, yet these issues continue to be studied in isolation. Establishing nutrition insecurity as a foundational concept will allow for more studies to better address the multi-level issues impacting Black cancer survivors' overall health.
Millions of Black South Africans are food insecure and malnourished, 30+ years after the democratic transition to Black majority rule in 1994. Yet South Africa is an upper-middle-income country with sufficient food, a constitutional right to food, and comprehensive social protection. High levels of poverty and unemployment are key drivers of hunger, but this paper explores another plausible explanation: "normalisation." Citizens and the state have become desensitized to Black hunger, after centuries of White domination. Racially hierarchized wealth inequalities and wellbeing outcomes are so entrenched that empathy toward poor and hungry Black people has been undermined. To test these ideas, data collection was conducted in three provinces in 2023-24. A quantitative questionnaire was administered to 600 respondents, stratified by residence, ethnicity, gender, age and education. Qualitative interviews probed individual experiences and attitudes to hunger. This mixed methods research finds confirmatory evidence of normalization, but no evidence of empathy deficits.
Innovation is needed to build capacity for food justice in urban food apartheid areas. Home gardening programs have the potential to achieve such goals. Chicago Grows Food created the Grow Your Groceries Home Garden intervention in 2022 to improve access to produce in food insecure communities. A mixed-methods, longitudinal investigation was conducted to determine how the program affected food access, cost savings, gardening skills, health, and socioemotional outcomes. Participants (N=46) were surveyed pre- and post-program over two annual cycles. Focus group participants (N=9) provided enriching context and detail. While results on improved gardening confidence over time emerged non-significant, the mixed-methods findings were positive. Participants reported increased food access, cost savings, healthier eating, stress reduction, and strengthened relational bonds, showcasing wide-ranging impacts on food security and well-being. Urban agriculture organizations may use this intervention as a model for home-based gardening programs, thus paving a path for localized food justice efforts.
Maternal nutrition is shaped by cultural food beliefs that may restrict essential nutrients and harm maternal/fetal outcomes. This systematic review aimed to identify components of food beliefs during pregnancy. Following PRISMA, two authors searched databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase) up to August 18, 2025, using 'food beliefs' and 'pregnancy'. We included qualitative studies gathering nutritional beliefs from pregnant women, women with pregnancy experience, and key informants. Quality assessed using JBI tool. Inductive thematic synthesis was used. Of 511 studies, 44 met criteria. One main theme emerged-sociocultural food beliefs during pregnancy-with eight categories: food beliefs, knowledge, traditional beliefs, food taboos, social support, religious beliefs, environmental/societal effects, and barriers. These beliefs function as social practices of morality and risk management, transmitted through family authority, gender dynamics, and economic constraints. Pregnancy food beliefs are complex. Effective interventions require culturally sensitive approaches involving family and community support.
Despite repeated government interventions, stunting remains persistent in West Sumatra, revealing a gap between policy goals and everyday family practices. This study examines the duality of social practices in implementing stunting prevention policies among Minangkabau matrilineal families in Padang. Using a mixed-methods exploratory case study conducted from July to September 2025, data were collected from 35 adult respondents through questionnaires and from selected informants through in-depth interviews, observation, and document review. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative data were thematically analyzed using NVivo 12 Pro and triangulation. The findings show that families do not simply resist policy directives but selectively incorporate them into local norms, authority relations, and daily routines. Although prevention messages are widely understood and accepted, implementation remains uneven due to economic constraints, parental authority, and shifting family roles. Participatory policy design involving Ninik Mamak and Bundo Kanduang may strengthen cultural legitimacy and implementation effectiveness.
This study examines intergenerational differences in cultural capital and attitudes toward marketing of high-fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) foods in urban, middle-class Indian households. A survey of parents (n = 218) and co-residing grandparents (n = 40) assessed values, food-related skills, and nutrition knowledge. The questionnaire incorporated validated multi-item scales measuring general human values, social beliefs, and nutrition-related competencies, thereby operationalizing cultural capital across embodied, institutionalized, and objectified dimensions. Parents scored higher on food information skills and sugar and protein knowledge, aligning with health discourse and media literacy. Grandparents relied on traditional caregiving and culinary practices. Drawing the forms of capital framework, findings revealed selective intergenerational contrasts in nutrition literacy and policy receptivity, while awareness of promotional environments remained largely convergent across cohorts, indicating that intergenerational negotiation occurs primarily at the level of interpretive evaluation rather than exposure itself.
The paper analyzed food choices and dietary diversity among 282 women-headed households engaged in small-scale fisheries in Tanzania, using secondary data from the 2021 Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) fisheries survey. Dietary quality was measured using the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) from a 24-hour recall, and the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified underlying dietary patterns. The results show that diets are dominated by staple foods and fish, with limited consumption of nutrient-dense foods such as eggs, dairy, and poultry. HDDS indicates a polarized distribution of dietary diversity, reflecting inequality in food access across households. PCA reveals distinct dietary regimes, including staple-based and fish-dependent patterns, alongside emerging consumption of processed foods. Policy interventions should prioritize improving market access, supporting diversification into nutrient-rich foods, and strengthening local food systems. In addition, enhancing women's access to productive resources and income-stabilizing mechanisms is critical for improving dietary outcomes.
Self-reported morbidity (SRM) is used in public health studies to assess community health profile and awareness. SRM was associated with socioeconomic status more sensitively than objective health measures. However, its usefulness was critically questioned for the plausible bias of subjective social experience. The present study assessed whether anthropometric profile, as objective marker of health, significantly varied according to SRM status among urban adult male slum dwellers. This study included 474 adult men. Height, weight, and skinfolds thicknesses were measured and body mass index was computed. Morbidity was recorded as self-reported incidence of any illness during the previous 30 days and also for the previous one year excluding 30 days prior to the study. All the anthropometric measures, except height, had the lowest values in repeated illness group and the highest in the group reporting no illness. The study clearly indicated that SRM was a sensitive indicator of nutritional status.
Maternal nutrition critically influences maternal health and fetal development. Sub-Saharan Africa faces a "double burden" of persistent undernutrition and rising obesity; however, Namibia lacks population-level data regarding postpartum nutritional status and birth outcomes. This study evaluated the effects of nutrition on pregnancy outcomes among 229 postpartum women in Windhoek, Namibia. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 28. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential methods, including chi-square tests and ANOVA. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Results showed that 12.2% of participants were undernourished, 78.6% were normal weight, and 9.2% were obese. Gestational weight gain (GWG) was significantly associated with preterm birth (p = 0.043) and low birth weight (LBW) (p = 0.006). Maternal nutritional status was also significantly linked to LBW (p = 0.046). These findings underscore the importance of maternal nutrition for improving health outcomes for both mothers and newborns.
The agriculture sector contributed to 9.4% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 2022. While some agricultural practices may negatively impact both the environment and human health, specialty crop production may offer market benefits to some producers and potentially improve environmental and health outcomes. The study aimed to understand the environmental and health impacts of locally distributed specialty crops in the Midwest, an agricultural region focused on commodity crops. Semi-structured interviews, guided by the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance) framework, were conducted with specialty crop producers (n=11) and food access practitioners (n=15). Producers reported adopting sustainable practices and observing environmental benefits; however, more large-scale, rigorous studies are needed to show measurable impacts. While food access programs showed improved health outcomes, benefits of local food distribution were not evaluated. Findings present an opportunity for greater collaboration among food system partners to increase specialty crop production and distribution.
Extrapolating from Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital, this paper introduces biocultural capital as capacity and asset to steward land, food, and knowledge in public commons for present and future generations. At the nexus of nutrition, planetary health and cultural well-being, foraging can support community-based biocultural capital in developing local self-determination and dignity with regard to local food sovereignty and nutrition security. A case study in Syracuse, New York, USA, investigates how community partners and interested residents identify strategies to build biocultural capital through community-based foraging knowledge, networks, and practice.
Poor dietary diversity (DD) in pregnancy can lead to nutritional deficiencies, resulting in poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. This cross-sectional study assessed the DD of 681 pregnant women in a tertiary hospital in South Africa. DD, household food insecurity and sociodemographic status were assessed using the MDD-W indicator, HFIAS and a questionnaire. 99.4% of participants consumed starchy staples, while only 7.9%, 10.6% and 13.5% consumed pulses; nuts and seeds; and dark green leafy vegetables, respectively. Only 32.9% achieved the MDD-W. Unemployment, having only primary education, severe food insecurity, as well as monthly income of 100-1000 ZAR and 1001-3000 ZAR were associated with 69% (p < .001), 72% (p = .010), 43% (p = .024), 82% (p < .001) and 50% (p = .003) decreased odds of achieving MDD-W, respectively. The findings indicate low DD and likely micronutrient inadequacy among this population of pregnant women. Lower monthly income, lower educational level, unemployment and severe household food insecurity were associated with inadequate DD. Addressing structural barriers, including poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity, is essential to support a more diverse diet during pregnancy.
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we examined how gender inequality influences undernutrition among Indian children across varying social structures. Studies on rural and urban patrilineal and matrilineal communities reporting the prevalence of undernutrition in children were included, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. We conducted three random-effects meta-analyses to estimate the relative risk (RR) of undernutrition, with boys as the control and girls as the intervention group. In total, 58 articles (73,910 children) were analyzed and classified into three categories, i.e., urban tribal and non-tribal (n = 11), rural non-tribal (n = 13), and rural tribal (n = 34). We found that gender disparity in undernutrition is locale- and population-specific, with girls from rural tribal communities experiencing a higher risk (RR 1.062) than their rural non-tribal and urban counterparts.
This study examines caregivers' practices and factors affecting solid food introduction, meal frequency, and dietary diversity in rural and urban Indonesia. Interviews with 46 caregivers, 2 health professionals, and 10 community health workers in Central Java, Indonesia, were analyzed thematically. Findings reveal that most children began complementary feeding at six months, with rural caregivers occasionally delaying solids based on perceived readiness. While meal frequency was similar, rural diets lacked diversity compared to urban ones, especially in animal-sourced foods, fruit, and pulses. Social, environmental, and individual factors shaped feeding practices, highlighting the need for tailored nutrition education and a multisectoral approach.
Anemia is a major public health concern affecting rural women during pregnancy and contributing to maternal and fetal complications. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most prevalent form linked to inadequate diet, repeated pregnancies, and limited access to healthcare. Infections, poverty, low health literacy further increase the risk. According to epidemiological studies, in rural areas, anemia prevalence exceeds 60% with maternal impacts such as fatigue, infections, postpartum depression, and even risk of death for the mother, while restricted growth of fetus in womb, premature birth, and delayed brain development are also linked. Poverty and cultural obstacles make it even harder to diagnose and prevent anemia. Rather, insufficient use of food supplements worsens outcomes. Future efforts should focus on affordable diagnostics and context-specific interventions for addressing anemia.
